Why was I stood up?
Because the female lead couldn't be found!
Why couldn't the female lead of this drama be found?
Because the female lead in this drama is an extremely Mary Sue character - she is proficient in five musical instruments, seven languages and has great martial arts skills!
The most troublesome thing is that all these skills of the female lead are used in the drama, which was also the main reason why the investor agreed to the author's conditions in the first place.
The female lead is supposed to be someone who can perform in the Vienna Musikverein, participate in high-level conferences and debates face-to-face with tycoons, and most importantly, can send kidnappers and their guns flying with a kick.
It is also because the personal abilities of the female lead are so terrifying that there is a group of fans fighting fiercely online over the pairing of fictional characters.
If it wasn't for the value and market potential seen in this drama, even the up-and-coming director Qiu Xuetong wouldn't have agreed to be the assistant director.
Of course, that was then, and this is now. Audiences nowadays no longer buy into pure Mary Sue characters, but he was still very curious:
"So what's the requirement now? Only proficient in one musical instrument instead of five?"
"No, she still needs to know five musical instruments, but doesn't need to have mastered them, just knowing basics is fine," Qin Xinhui added. "Being able to play one or two notes counts as knowing."
"What about the seven languages? Just being able to say 'hello' is enough?" Qiu Xuetong was full of interest.
"Can't compromise on languages, the female lead needs to converse and debate with many foreigners in the drama, so she must have mastered those languages, however..."
"However what? Don't leave me hanging!"
"Dialects count too."
"???"
"So for the seven languages, as long as she can pronounce English, French and Russian, and synchronize the dubbing and lip movements in post-production, that's good enough."
Qiu Xuetong scornfully said: "Talking crap."
Qin Xinhui: ......
The logic makes sense, but the words were quite rude.
......
"Daughter, let's get this!" Ling Chujin said to her daughter Ji Ruochu who had started scanning the QR code.
"Okay."
Ji Ruochu took a glance at her parents who had started attaching the charms to their phone case, then quietly paid for a portion of her salary that has just been credited.
She originally wanted to use this part of her salary to buy something more valuable for her family, but her parents were one step ahead in suggesting buying some souvenirs at the night market.
Clearly, her parents had guessed her intention from the gifts she bought for the whole family last time when she got her salary.
Her parents didn't lack anything or were willing to spend their daughter's hard-earned money, so they created this superficial scenario in advance.
Ji Ruochu understood her parents' intention after briefly thinking about it, and for now just pretended not to know. She would treat them to a family vacation after this drama finished shooting.
"Daughter, take your phone case off, mum will attach a charm for you."
"Okay, thanks mum."
The family of three gradually disappeared from view, completely unaware that two girls had sneaked over to the stall after they left.
"Boss, what did that family buy just now? Looked pretty good." One girl asked.
"That's the couple with their very beautiful daughter!"
"Tsk, our idol is also very handsome okay?"
Before the boss could answer, there were already signs of conflict brewing between the two girls.
"It doesn't matter, boss, just tell us what they bought?"
Fortunately, the two girls were still rational.
"They chose that charm over there." The boss saw the family of three off into the distance, and pointed at a few charms in the corner.
The two girls immediately looked towards where the boss was pointing, and then...
"That was definitely your idol's taste."
"......" I really want to refute that, but I just can't.
"Give us the rest of them, please pack them up."
With that, the two girls with immense dissatisfaction on their faces left the stall with charms that the boss had failed to sell over three months.
That night, a picture appeared in Ji Mochen's fan group.
【Sisters, guess who I saw in the film and television town today?!】
【Who? Our old Ji?】
【Huh? Surely not, wasn't he criticized miserably enough in his youth for his acting? This guy doesn't remember to not repeat his mistakes? 】
【Mm, I just looked back at Boss Ji from years ago, you guys chat first, I'm going to wash my eyes then come back.】
【No no, not about his acting, but his daughter!】
【Ruochu?】
【Qian Siqi?】
【Free Diving 2?】
Within seconds, the fan group became lively.
【Ahhhhhh! Sisters, can I go spread this news in Ruochu's fan group?】
【No need, there's already an eyewitness over there revealing it and they've started selling the hideous charms the Ji family of three bought.】
【......】
【Emmm...ours doesn't need it right? I specially bought a bunch too, so I'll lowball them to sisters over there!】
The original sharer was clearly somewhat disappointed, but that was understandable. Compared to Ruochu's fanbase which skews young, the fans here were mostly Buddhist, already retired for half a year and more -
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding ding ding ding ding——
Huh?
Looking expressionlessly at the instant 99+ friend requests in her inbox, the sharer thought: ......
As expected, all that talk about being Buddhist, it was all an illusion.
30 seconds later.
【The charms are sold out, sisters stop adding me, go quickly search on Taobao for the same style!】
After sending that, she even posted a picture in the group.
......
【!!!】
And that was the end, or it should have been, if not for a certain half-retired idol who still had great confidence in his taste, secretly leaving a like.
In just a few minutes, a "Ji Mochen liked" hot search appeared.
Before the haters could mock Ji Mochen for even piggybacking on such a hot search, screenshots of conversations from a suspected father-daughter fan group of Ji Mochen leaked.
The 2022 "trendy fashion item" case is now closed.
After this, in addition to existing nicknames like “Ruochu’s dad”, “rebellious idol”, Ji King also gained the nickname of “fashion godfather”.
Of course, all these were just appetizers, the max heat still belongs to the news of Qiu Xuetong’s new movie kicking off production and Ji Ruochu starring as female lead in Free Diving 2.